Sternula Explained

Sternula is a genus of small white terns. It is often subsumed into the larger genus Sterna, although the most recent changes to the AOU checklist considers it a separate genus.^[1] The genus name is a diminutive of Sterna, "tern".^[2]

Species

Listed alphabetically.^[3]

Image	Common Name	Scientific name	Distribution
		Sternula albifrons	temperate and tropical Europe and Asia.
		Sternula antillarum	North America and locally in northern South America.
		Sternula balaenarum	southern Africa and migrates to tropical African coasts
		Sternula lorata	Chile, Ecuador, and Peru
		Sternula nereis	Australia, New Caledonia,northern New Zealand
		Sternula saundersi	north-western Indian Ocean
		Sternula superciliaris	Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Saunders's and least terns were both formerly considered to be subspecies of little tern.

Notes and References

1. Banks et al. 2007. Forty-eighth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Checklist of North American Birds. The Auk 124(1): 1109-1115.
2. Book: Jobling, James A . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 365.
3. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/n-shorebirds.html Shorebirds & allies